Wind Power In Alaska

Like many other states in the US, the energy sources in Alaska come mainly from natural gas and oil. As the reserves start to dwindle away there is a greater interest in the development of energy from natural sources such as wind power. The projects that have been completed to this point have only been of a small scale but the potential is very high and the state government and the Alaska Energy Authority is pushing ahead with developing opportunities to increase the generation of electricity from wind power in the future.

The table displayed below lists the wind power projects that are developments that are either already in commissioned status and are operating, are currently being constructed or have been planned. All efforts are being made to keep the page updated with the latest developments and new information as it becomes available.

Where possible links have been provided for each project to provide further information, simply click on the project name you are interested in.

As can be seen by the table above there is now just over 50MW of electricity produced in the state of Alaska and a good proportion of it was only added in 2012.

An important part of the process of developing wind power in Alaska is the existence of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP). This is a coalition of energy stakeholders that works together to develop renewable energy in Alaska through collaboration, education, training and advocacy.

Within REAP is the Alaska Wind Working Group and this collaboration of government agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals identify specific concerns and barriers to the creation of new wind power projects. It also identifies opportunities for wind development within Alaska.

The production of new wind power developments in Alaska is considered an important process in the nurturing of renewable energy opportunities. But it can’t come at the expense of the landscape and environment and this is one of the many aspects that the group is concerned with.

At the start of 2011 the Small Wind Working Group was launched in Alaska which is a working focus group for small wind issues dealing with wind turbines less than 50 kilowatts. The group deals with overcoming hurdles to small wind development in the state as well as permitting requirements and possible effects from severe weather.